Attorney General Merrick Garland plans to announce that he has appointed a special counsel to oversee investigations into former President Donald Trump.
You likely remember hearing this term during the Robert Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Here's a refresher on what it means:
A special counsel is a lawyer appointed to lead an independent investigation and, if necessary, to prosecute anyone suspected of crimes.
A special counsel is typically appointed when the usual investigative bodies under the Justice Department, such as the FBI, have a conflict of interest in carrying out a probe.
The law states more broadly that the attorney general can appoint a special counsel under "extraordinary circumstances," or when in it is in the public interest to do so.
The special counsel must come from outside the government, the idea being that he or she should have the greatest possible level of impartiality and be removed from the usual chain of command.
The law says that the counsel should be a lawyer with a reputation for integrity and impartial decision-making.